Developing Engaging Remote Laboratory Activities for a Nonmajors Chemistry Course During COVID-19

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic required science educators to rapidly redesign their courses to instruct, support, and motivate students in a new remote learning environment. This adjustment was particularly challenging for courses with a laboratory component, where beakers and pipettes were exchanged for computer screens and keyboards. We present our experiences with developing and teaching remote laboratory activities for a nonmajors chemistry course with an emphasis on biological molecules. Our strategies for engaging student connection and interest during remote instruction focused on both the scientific content and instructional design of the laboratory exercises. After transforming four in-person experiments into remote exercises, we developed two new virus-themed activities that were directly relevant to students’ experiences with the global pandemic. Instructional methods for teaching remote laboratories sustained students’ participation in a collaborative learning community during a time of educational disruption and personal separation. Evidence regarding student learning is provided by an anonymous end-of-semester survey, which reveals that students particularly valued the laboratory activities that connected their learning to COVID-19.